The seasoning started with a problem. The ingredients grew in the garden.
At Sonny’s Kitchen in Springfield, Missouri, Katrina Fluekiger makes seasonings with ingredients she grows and works to keep her blends affordable.
The first blend was Cilantro Lime. Katrina Fluekiger had received a kidney transplant in 2009 and was looking for salt-free seasonings. She wasn’t finding many options, so she began making her own.
That practical problem became Sonny’s Kitchen. Katrina has been farming and gardening since 2009 and says the business has operated on its current land since 2022.
From the garden to the blend
Katrina says 80–90% of the ingredients come from her garden: basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, tomatoes, peppers and onions. Growing ingredients is part of making the product, alongside developing blends and dehydrating what she harvests.
She doesn’t try to produce every ingredient herself. Garlic is the main one she buys rather than dehydrates, a choice she describes as part of the standards she sets for her products.
The seasonings began with her own needs. Over time, she also recognized a need for options from people navigating other dietary restrictions. Her aim is to make something useful without making it an expensive specialty purchase.
Keeping her blends affordable
“Keeping our products affordable is a priority for me because I believe that dietary restrictions should not be a financial burden.”
Katrina says she works to keep her pricing competitive with standard store-bought seasoning packets. The price matters alongside the ingredients: a blend that works for someone still has to fit into the household’s food budget.
Cilantro Lime was the first answer to the problem she encountered. Sonny’s Kitchen now connects that work to the garden, where much of the next batch begins.